Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1887-03-03
Our First Hundred.

A correspondent OF the Manchester
Mirror writes: l was mechanic. [ am
a farmer now, and have been for many
years. | was good workman, and had
constant employment except when work
was slack. one day said to my young
wife, 81 never shall be anything but an
other mans servant unless we accumulate
some capital" Quick came the response,
swell, accumulate some them I will help
you" That response was the making Of
our fortune. After talking the matter
over, we agreed not to stint ourselves in
food, clothing, books and newspapers,
but to avoid all waste, to make no foolish
purchases, to shun balls, parties and ex-
cursio1s, aud to buy no rum, tobacco, or
cigars. 1t will not take long argument
to convince me that to set fire to ten
cent piece and burn itup was not the way
to have it in my pocket. And from that
day to this, I have never spent cent for
tobacco in any form. The money I did
not spend would buy span of good
horses.
My wife laughingly said she had heard
of people putting their savings into an
old stocking, and we would have stock
ing to put ours i'll. l drew my wages
weekly, and on the Saturday night fol-
it. 1t fell down silently. On tho follow
ing Saturday another went in; it clinked
my wife looked up and smiled at the
sound. Week after week in went the
dollar, sometimes two. At length she
had lost the count, and after the children
were put to bed and the door fastened to
insure secrecy, she emptied the contents
and counted SIT; three dollars were ad-
ded to make twenty. The same plan was
followed until We had $40. Then my
wife said: eff you will let me manage
this thing will show you what I can
do" I consented, and she babe me 90
to the grocer and ask what discount
he would make on bill of $50 for fam
lily groceries. ''Ten per cent" She made
out a list to the amount, and when I
handed it to him with the money, he gave
me back $3, and sent the goods. That
was a great event of our lives. you'll
find,' said she, that 1 shall not use them
more freely that if they wore brought in
drlblets at higher price," She turned
the three silver dollars over in her hand
and a smile Overspread her face that was
worth more than So to see. She had
justified herself and proved to
me that she had a business capacity.
From that time she made all of our pur-
chases, and / never had come tc regret
having trusted her. In short time the
old stocking was repleted for nearly the
whole Of several weeks wages went into
it.
We were very careful now to draw the
blinds closely, fasten the doors and speak
IN wispers, so that our neighbors should
not suspect how rich we were. The old
stocking grew to be quite heavy and went
down with thud that was very pleasant
to hear. Soon we had si1ty-seventy-
eighty dollars. How rich we were! And
duly as the weeks came round the count
ing was renewed. Our happiest hours,
now were these in which we fingered over
our treasure. My wife, I think, liked to
finger the shining metal, and truly I was
nothing 10th. The nearer the end the
more anxious we were to attain it; we
grew feverish-pinched little, think,
and we counted $95. At the end of the
next week, in went the other five, and the
work was done. We counted it
over two or three times-yes all was
there. To prolong the pleasure
my wife pretended that she made mis-
take, or might have made one, and it
would never do to find it short when
counted again. So we fingered over the
last counting. Then her eyes met mine,
and "Thank God!" she exclaimed; and
I as thankful, added "Amen." You smile!
Well, perhaps you came into property
without effort; but just think of poor
fellow who never owned 500 clear in his
whole life sitting before pile of silver
his own earnings, and across the table a
lovely woman, the cause of it all, wouldn't
he smile?
jumped up and kissed her dear lips.
They are silent now. and I am growing
old. But that night we were the happiest
couple in New England. We counted our
savings by thousands afterwards, but
never again could we taste the delicious
Joy of that hour in which we counted our
first hundred.